Clothes drier



Nov. 24,1931. 1 H. WILSEIY 1,833,631 I CLOTHES DRI ER Filed Nov. 20. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ji 7176771 61: Eden) J Z01) Z/sqy,

Nov. 24, 1931. MLSEY 1,833,631

CLOTHES DRIER Fi led Nov. 20. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Zl M .12 F g.5.

i6 16 Q 1Q 17 1 J5 I 1 i I v 4 4 A i I I \t v f 23 2Q 2Q Imam??? Patented Nov. 24, 1931 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE Application fled November 20, 1989. Serial ll'o. 408,806.

This invention relates generally to clothes driers and more particularly to rtable clothes driers adapted for househol use.

The general object of this invention is 6 to provide a novel clothes drier in which the clothes to be dried may be sup orted in the ath of a blast of air with t e blast confined in such a manner that it is concentrated within the space actually occupied by the clothes.

Another object is to p'ovide a portable clothes drier which may folded to occupy a comparatively small space when not in use, which will dry'clothes quickly with an efiicient use of the ener supplied to generate and heat the blast 0 air, and which is economical to construct.

A further ob'ect is to rovide such a clothes drier which is light an may be easily (placed 2 in operative 1position, and which is a a ted to dry a sma amount of clothing in a s ort time.

Other ob'ects and advantages will become apparent rom the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a devlce embodyin the features of my invention, showing t e'front part of the curtain thrown aside to indicate the position in which the clothes may be hung.

Fig. 2 is an'enlarged plan view of a portion of the top of the device.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device with the motor and fan removed.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

The device is ada ted to be hung from a comprises in general 5 suitable bracket an 16 su ported from the sides of the aperture an apertured base p1ate,'means for generating a blast of air and forcing it through the aperture in the base plate, means for supporting clothes in the path of the blast, and a curtain surrounding the clothes and at tached to the base plate.

As shown in the drawings, the base plate comprises a rectangular iece 10 of wood or other suitable materia having a central aperture 11. To generate a blast of air 8. motor 12 drawing current from a light sociret is mounted over the aperture 11 b means of brackets 13 attached to the base p ate 10 and is axially ali ed with the aperture. A fan 14 is mounted on the lower end of the shaft 05 of the motor 12 which is adapted to force a blast of air downwardly through the aperture 11, the motor brackets 13 being such as not to interfere materially with the inrush of air to the fan. 1 To heat the air, if it be desired, an electric heating element 15 of suitable form may be mounted in the path of the blast in the aperture 11 by means of tubular insulating blocks 11. he ends of the heating element 15 are connected to a terminal block 17 of insulating material with the element in circuit with the motor 12. A wire screen 18 extends across the aperture below the heating ele ment 15 as a guard.

Suitable means is provided for suspending the device which, in the present instance, comprises a bail 20 pivoted to the to of the motor 12 and, a hook 21 adapted to hung on a bracket 22 attached to the wall or other convenient place. I

As mentioned above, means is provided for supportin clothes in the path of-the blast of air, w ich means in this instance comprises a wire bail 23 pivotally attached to the underside of the base late 10 in a osition extending diametrioal across an beneath the aperture 11. The ail 23 is formed. in a series of spaced loops from which ordinary clothes hangers 24 may be suspended in spaced relation or clothes may be hung directly upon the bail 23.

A curtain 25 for enclosing the clothes has its upperedge attached to the perimeter of the base plate 10 by readily detachable fasteners such as snap fasteners and depends therefrom. Quickly opening means (not shown) is provided for attaching the side edges of the curtain to each other thus forming a flexible tube whose upper end is closed by the base plate 10 and whose bottom end is open to permit free egress of the blast of air. The device is suspended at a height that ermits the bottom of the curtain to be we above the floor so that the blast of air may pass freely out of the curtain.

In operation, assumed the device is as shown in. Figure 1 with the front portion of the curtain folded aside. Clothes represented by the letter A. are hung upon the j hangers, or directly upon the ball 23. The

front portion of the curtain is turned back to surround the clothes, its upper edge is snapped on to the base plate, and its side ed s are fastened together. Thus, a flexible tu is formed enclosing the clothes A with its upper end closed except for the aperture 11 through which,the blast of air is forced, and its bottom end open. Current is then turned on for the motor 12 which also passes through the heating element 15, and a last of heated air is forced downwardly through the aperture 11, throu h and around the clothes A, and out throng the opening formed b the bottom edge of the curtain.

. When t e blast of air is forced downwardly throu h the clothes A in this manner, the curtain eing flexible, is drawn inwardly from all sides and caused to conform snugly to the body of the clothes as illustrated by the dotted lines B in Figure 1. Thus, the curtain forms a flexible collapsible tube surrounding the clothes which closely confines the path of the blast of air to the space actually occupied by the clothes. In this manner, the cross-sectional area of the space included within the curtain is reduced or restricted to the area actually occupied b the 'clothes and the full (1 ing effect of the eated air is employed wit out any of the heated air-being permitted to escape unused.

When the device is not in use, it-may be compactly lpacked by removing the curtain from the ase late and folding it, and folding the wire ail 23 flat against the base plate. Thus, only a small amount of space need to be taken for storing the device.

From the above description, it is obvious that I have will dry clot es quickly with an efficient use of current for enerating and heating the blast of air, an which is light and easily handled and may be economically constructed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A clothes drier comprising, in combination, a base plate having a central aperture therethrough, an electric motor axially alined with and supported above said aperrovided a clothes drier which.

ture, means attached to the top of the motor by which the device may be suspended, a

fan over said aperture driven by said motor circuit with said motor for heating said blast,

a screen extending across said aperture below said heatin element, a wire bail extending diametricall across and below said aperture and pivote to said base plate, said bail being adapted to support clothes hangers in spaced relation in the path of the blast of air, and a curtain having its upper ed e detachably attached to the erimeter of tfie base plate, its side edges 2. apted to be detacha ly attached to each other, and its bottom edge forming an openin through which the blast of air passes out 0% the device.

2. A clothes drier comprising, in combination, a base'plate having a central aperture therethrough, an electric motor over said aperture and mounted upon said base plate,

means b which the device may be suspended, a fan a ined with said aperture and driven by said motor for forcing a blast of air downwardly through said aperture, an electric heating element mounted in the path of said blast, means for supporting clothes beneath the base plate and the heating element and in the path of the blast of air, and a flexible curtain attached to and depending from the base plate and adapted to surround the clothes.

3. A clothes drier comprising, in combination, a base plate having an aperture therethrough, a motor driven fan mounted on said base plate over said aperture for forcing a blast of air downwardly through said aperture, an electric heating element mounted in the path of said blast, means for supporting clothes hangers beneath the base plate and in the path of the blast of,air, and a curtain attached to and depending from the base plate and adapted to surround the clothes.

4. A drier comprising, in combination, an

' apertured base plate, means for supplying a blast of heated air blowing downwardly through the aperture in said base plate, means for supporting articles to be dried below and adjacent said aperture, and flexible means movable under the influence of said blast of air to confine said blast closely to the space actually occupied by said articles.

5. A drier comprising, in combination, means for generating a blast of air, means for supporting articles to be dried in the path of said blast, and colla sible means for automatically confining said blast closely to the space actually occupied by said articles.

6. A drier comprising, in combination, means for supplying a blast of air, means for supporting articles to be dried in the path of said blast, and a flexible collapsible tubular curtain for enclosing the articles and adapted to be drawn snugly against the artities by the blast as it passes through the arties.

7. A portable clothes drier comprising, in combination, a base plate having an aperture therethrou h, an electric motor mounted on said base p ate over said aperture, means attached to the motor by which the device may be suspended, a fan driven by said motor for forcing a blast of air through said a erture, an electric heating element mounte across said aperture for heating said blast, means for supporting clothes beneath said base late and in the dpath of the blast of hea air and adapts to be compactly folded against the base plate when not in use, and a flexible curtain depending from and detachably attached to the base plate and adapted to enclose the clothes.

8. A clothes drier comprising, in combination, an apertured base plate, a motor-driven fan mounted therein for forcing a blast of air down through said a erture, an electric heating element for heating said blast, means for supporting the clothes beneath said base plate and in the path of the heated blast, and a flexible collapsible, tubular curtain depending from said base plate and completely surrounding the clothes, the upper end of said curtain being closed by said base plate and the lower end bein open whereby the blast of air will cause sai curtain to be drawn inwardly to snugly conform to the bod of clothes, thereby confining the path of eated air to the space actually occupied by the clothes.

9. A clothes drier comprising, in combination, a base plate having a central aperture, a flexible tubular curtain depending from said base late with its upper end closed thereby and its lower end freely open, means for suspending clothes beneath the aperture in the base plate, and means for blowing a blast of heated air downwardly through said aperture, through and around the clothes and out from the curtain, said blast causing a reduction or restriction of the normal crosssectional area of said curtain.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my signature. I IRVEN H. WILSEY. 

